INVITATION TO TENDER: EVALUATION CONSULTANCY

INTRODUCTION 

The Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary and invites tenders specifically for developing an Impact Report to commemorate this milestone. 

AREF’s mission is to nurture, mentor, and support a community of African researchers so that they can become research experts and leaders capable of tackling African and global health challenges. 

AREF is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 13219209) and a charity registered in England and Wales (Number: 1193865) whose registered office is at 99 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HR. It receives funds from donors, partners, and the giving public to support the career and leadership development of biomedical and health researchers in Africa. Further background regarding AREF can be accessed at https://www.africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk

GENERAL  

• All documents in this Invitation to Tender (ITT) are confidential and must be used solely for the purposes of this ITT. The documents can only be passed on to third parties on a strictly ‘need-to-know’ basis for the purposes of the tenderer preparing and submitting a tender. 
  • The tenderer shall use at least the same degree of care to avoid unauthorised dissemination or publication of this ITT as it employs with respect to its own information which it does not wish to have disseminated or published. All Due Diligence Information shall be either returned to AREF or securely destroyed by the Bidder (the preferred option) at the conclusion of the procurement exercise. 
  • The tenderer shall accept and acknowledge that AREF shall not be bound to accept any tender and reserves the right not to conclude a Contract for some or all of the goods/services/goods and services for which tenders are invited. 
  • AREF reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of this ITT at any time during this procurement exercise. 

CONTEXT 

• The 10^th Year Anniversary of AREF presents an opportunity to reflect on AREF’s achievements, assess its impact over the last ten years since its inception in 2015 and to communicate its vision for the future through an Impact Report.
  • The Impact Report will showcase AREF’s contributions to developing the capacities of African health researchers, highlight key accomplishments, and present insights into the organisation’s effectiveness and sustainability. 

REQUIREMENTS OF THE WORK 

• AREF is seeking a consultant experienced in monitoring and evaluating and organisational impact who can utilise a range of methods and approaches to conduct this evaluation. The impact report must be completed within 6 months from the award of the contract and no later than 29^th March 2025.
  • The consultant will work virtually, and therefore, must be able to utilise virtual technologies to undertake this evaluation exercise.  
  • The consultant will be supported by the Head of Operations, located in The Gambia and by the Programmes Team, located in UK and in The Gambia.  

WORK SCOPE 

The consultant’s responsibilities include: 

• Reviewing relevant data and documentation to assess AREF’s impact and achievements over the past 10 years. 
  • Developing a structured framework for the Impact Report, including key themes, findings, and recommendations. 
  • Analysing quantitative and qualitative data to identify trends, patterns, and areas of success and for improvement.
  • Drafting the Impact Report with clear, concise, and compelling narratives supported by evidence and examples. 
  • Incorporating feedback from AREF’s management team and stakeholders to refine the report. 
  • Providing monthly reports and notable stories on specified areas for publication on website and social media ahead of the final version of the report.
  • Delivering a final version of the Impact Report in electronic and print-ready formats. 

DELIVERABLE AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES 

• There will be a requirement for regular meetings to discuss and review the progress of the project. 
  • All materials produced must comply with AREF’s brand guidelines, a copy of which will be provided. 
  • All the completed work will be the property of AREF. 
  • The project will commence on the acceptance of the contract and should be completed by 29^th March 2025. 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS 

• The contract will be overseen by Irene Coker, Head of Operations. Email: Irene.Coker@aref-africa.org.uk
  • The proposal must provide a plan of work and report at regular intervals as agreed at the time of the commissioning. 

STRUCTURE OF PROPOSAL  

Tenders should provide:  

• A description of proposed work. 
  • A summary of relevant experience and technical knowledge to undertake this project. 
  • Total cost and breakdown of costs (for each task) including a statement on VAT. 
  • Brief CVs of key personnel proposed for this project, including relevant experience and qualifications. 

SUBMITTING A PROPROSAL 

• The deadline for receipt of submission is 12pm GMT on 2nd August 2024. Electronic submissions only to aref@aref-africa.org.uk. 
  • The tenderer must also complete the Supplier Questionnaire (Click link to download) https://africaresearchexcellencefund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/03-AREF-Tenderer-Supplier-Questionnaire.docx issued with this notice and instructions. Tenderers must obtain for themselves at their own responsibility and expense all information necessary for the preparation of the tender. AREF is not liable for any costs incurred by the tenderer as a result of the tendering process. Any work undertaken by the tenderer prior to the award of contract is a matter solely for the tenderer’s own commercial judgement. It is the tenderer’s responsibility to ensure that the tender arrives no later than the time and date stated above (unless the time and/or date are subsequently amended in writing by AREF). Late tenders may be rejected. The tender must be based upon the conditions and specification(s) set out in this document and must contain all the information requested otherwise it may be rejected on the basis of being unsuitable and non-compliant.
  • It is intended that the contract will be awarded no later than the date set out in the table in Section 11 below. By submitting a tender, the tenderer agrees that the tender remains valid for acceptance for a period of 90 days from the tender closing date. 

EVALUATION 

1. AREF will award the contract(s) on the basis of the tender(s) that provide best value for money. A Tender Evaluation Panel will evaluate the submitted proposals. The tenderer reserves the right to consider an interview or presentation as part of the evaluation process.
2. AREF reserves the right to conduct post-tender negotiation with any or all of the tenderers. 

TIMETABLE 

The following is the proposed procurement timetable: 

ACCEPTANCE OF TENDER AND NOTIFICATION OF AWARD 

AREF reserves the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of this ITT at any time during the procurement process.

1.  AREF shall not be under any obligation to accept the lowest price tender or any tender and reserves the right to accept such portion or portions as it may decide (unless the tenderer includes a formal statement to the contrary in the tender). AREF also reserves the right to award more than one contractor to fulfil the requirement. 

1.  The tenderer will be notified of the outcome of the tender submission at the earliest possible time. 

1.  Nothing in the documentation provided by AREF to the tenderer during this procurement or any communication between the tenderer and AREF or the AREF representatives, employees, agents or advisors shall be taken as constituting an offer to contract or a contract. No tender will be deemed to have been formally accepted until the successful tenderer has received a formal written contract from AREF. 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

You may refer to the link for further information.
Please apply by sending your proposal (maximum 2 sides of A4) to aref@aref-africa.org.uk

Any queries regarding this tender should be sent by email to Sereign Fallou Joof. Email: sereign.falloujoof@aref-africa.org.uk.